University of Music and Theatre Leipzig (German: Hochschule für Musik und Theatre Leipzig) is a public university of music and theatre in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. Founded by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig is Germany's oldest conservatory. Today it encompasses classical music, jazz and popular music, acting, dramaturgy, musicology, music education, church music, composition and teacher training. Its institutional development includes April 2, 1843 — the opening of the Conservatory of Music in Leipzig under the leadership of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The founding faculty was made up of eminent musicians from the Gewandhaus and from the international musical life of Leipzig. Today its academic profile is determined by instrumental and vocal performance, acting, dramaturgy, jazz and popular music, church music, conducting, composition, music theory, early music, musicology, music education, school music, theatre and media studies. The location is important because the Grassistraße campus and other Leipzig sites immerse students in a city that has been shaped by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig Opera, Thomanerchor, theatres, Bach institutions, churches, festivals, media, and a wide independent music and performance scene.

The course portfolio in this master file consists of 11 undergraduate and 12 postgraduate entries. Where appropriate, subject combinations have been grouped under their parent degrees. Examples of undergraduate studies are Orchestral Instruments, Piano and Keyboard Instruments, Voice and Music Theatre, Composition and Music Theory, Conducting and Correpetition, Church Music. The list continues with Dramaturgy, Acting, School Music Teacher Education. Postgraduate study includes: Orchestral Instruments, Piano and Keyboard Instruments, Voice and Music Theatre, Composition and Music Theory, Conducting and Correpetition, Church Music, Musicology, Music Education, Master-Class Study. Each course stays a parent qualification and the specialisations are reported in the course entry, not misrepresented as separate degrees.

Admission is controlled at the program level. Applicants pay the published €50 application fee and complete program-specific academic review, recordings or artistic preselection, practical auditions, theory and ear-training tests, interviews or written tasks; application and examination dates vary by course. Applicants should check language of instruction, semester of entry, subject prerequisites, selection procedure and document route prior to submitting. International School or University Qualifications External evaluation, certified translations, APS documentation where applicable or other proof of academic equivalence may be required. Master’s committees may require module descriptions, portfolios, writing samples, professional experience or interviews. Admission to the doctoral program is separate from admission to the bachelor’s or master’s program and is usually based on a viable research proposal, qualified supervision and formal acceptance by the responsible faculty.

The contribution published for the summer semester 2026 is € 310.80. Almost all home and EU students do not pay general tuition fees and most non-EU students pay €1,800 per semester. There may also be charges for second degree and long-term study under Saxon rules. These institutional fees do not include accommodation, medical insurance, meals, study material, accommodation formalities, project expenses and individual travel. If provided for by the relevant law or program regulation, special tuition may be provided for continuing-education, distance-learning, joint, second-degree, or long-term study formats. Funding (e.g. BAföG for eligible students, Deutschlandstipendium, DAAD and Erasmus+ mobility support, foundations, research employment or university-specific awards) is available, but each funding application is evaluated separately from admission.

Career preparation is in line with the university’s subject mix and is not a guarantyd placement scheme. Internships, applied projects, research assistantships, employer events, language development, entrepreneurship services, international mobility and a thesis developed in cooperation with an external partner can all help to improve professional readiness.